Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-12-03
TIE CANALS OF MARS.

TIE CANALS OF MARS.
WHAT ASTRONOMER ScHlAPARELLI
SAW THROUGH HIS TELESCOPE.
Some Remarkable Appearances Which
He Notod-Is BInrs Inhabitod?-Fants
Which seom to Call for IN Aflrma-
two Answer.
It was in 1877 during favorable conjunc-
ton of Mars-that is to say, ut the time when
Mars was unusually near to tho earth-that
Sohiaporell first saw the canals. 1t will DO
recollected that in that same year Professor
Hall discovered the two tiny moons Of Mars
with the great telescope ut Washington, an
instrument in comparison with which Schia-
parelli's telescope is pigmy, and yet, SO far
as we arc aware, the canals were mover seen
with tho Washington telescope This fact,
however, is by no means decisive, for in the
first place Schiaparelli's telescope, though
comparatively small, is Of acknowledged
great excellence; secondly, and more impor-
tant, tho skies of Milan ares 'incomparably
clearer and better suited to delicate telescope
observation: than gton; and
lastly, Schiaparelli, who possesses exception
ally sharp vision, like the celebrated Dawes,
Of England, was engaged in the special study
Of tho features OF Mars surface WhonS he
madc the discovery 1t may be added TINT
last year three observcrs-M Perrotin and
NJ Pollon, at Nice, and Mr.. Denning, in Eng
land-succecdcd in seeing the canals of Schi-
aparelli, and detecting some of the -excep-
tional appearances which he noted When
Schiaparelli first saw the canals in 1877 they
appeared as single lines, but subsequently he
found them double Flo eyon watched tho
process Of doubling, which was q very Gu
rious phenomenon. But we will let him speak
for himself, as quoted by NJ. Flammarion:
"Thcre are upon that planet great dark
lines, travcrsing the continents, to which
may be given the namo Of canals, although
we do rot yet know what they are. Various
astronomers have already detected several of
them, notably Dawes in 1851 During tho
lost three oppositions havo nado q special
study OF them and have recognized consid-
ernble number, more than sixty. These lines
run from ono To another Of the dirk spots
that wo regard as SEAS and form well de
fined network over the light or continental
regions Their position appears to BIO inva-
riablo and permanent at least according to
the judgment have been able to form by
four and half years of observation; never
thcless their aspect and their degree of visi-
bility are not always the same, and depend
upon circumstances which the present state
Of our knowledge docs not yet permit US to
discuss with certainty. In 1879 many wore
seen which were not visible in 1887, and in
1882 those that had already been seen were
detected again, accompanied By new ones.
Several Of these canals present themselves
under the form OF vague, shadowy lines,
while others are clear and sharp, like mark
made by a pen. In general they arc recti-
linear, that is to say, drawn upon the sphere
as lines Of great circles. They cross one an
other obiquely, or at right angles They are
fully two degrees broad, or 100 kilometers,
and a number extend over distance of eighty
degrees or 1880 kiloreters.
''Their color is very nearly that Of the seas
of Mars, but trifle lighter Every canal
ends ut its two oxtremitics in q sea or in
another canal; there is not single example
of ono extremity ending in the middle of the
solid land. That Is not oil. In certain seq
Sons these canals split up or, rather, become
double
rms IJnuuomunon appears 70 occur at
fixed timo, and is produced simultaneously
over the whole extent of tho continents Of
tho planet. No indication OF it was shown
in 1877 during the weeks which preceded and
followed tho southern solstico Of the world.
A single isolated case was presented in 1879;
tho 2Gth OF December in thai yoar % little be-
foro the spring equinox, which occurred on
the 2lst G January, 1880, remarked the
dividing Of tho Nile between ths Lake OF the
Moon and the Carsu1iQue gsilf. These two
regular markings, equal and parallel, caused
me, admit, profound surprise, tho greater
because some dnya before, the ed and the
9th of December, l had observed with caro-
this same region without percsiving any
thing of tho kind. awaited with curiosity
the return of the planet in 1881 In order to
learn if any analogous phenomenon would
present itself, and I saw the same thing re-
appear the 18th Of January, 1852, a month
after the spring equinox of the planet (which
occurred on tho 9th of December, 1851; the
division was still more evident at the end Of
February On this same date, the 18th OF
January, another doubling manifested itself,
that of tho middle section OF tho Cyclops ca
nal, on tho side Of tho Elysee.
Greater yet was my astonishment when,
the 10Th OF January, saw the canal of ia
muna, which was then in tho center of the
disk, divided very accurately into two
straight, parallel lines travorsing the space
which separates the Niliaque lake from tho
Gulf Of Aurora. At first thought it to be
ON illusion, caused by fatigue to the eye and
q sort of strabismus of q new kind, but one
must needs yield to tho evidence After the
10Th of January l simply passed from one
surprise to another: in succession the Oron-
les, the Euphrates, the Prison, the Gangcs
and more of the other canals showed them
selves very clearly and incontestably split in
two. There wcro not less than twenty ex-
amples Of doubling
in certain cases it has been possible to OBJ
servo some plecursory symptoms which are
not lacking in interest. Thus the 18th of
January light and i'll defined shade extend
ed along tho Ganges; the 18th and 10Th only
series of white spots was distinguishable
there; tho Goth the Ganges showed itself in
the form of two indecisive parallel lines, and
the 2lst the doubling WIS perfectly clear, as
observed it up to the 23d of February.
"Thcse doublings arc not an optical effect
depending upon the increase OF visual power,
ns happens in tho observation of double stars,
and neither is it the cannl which divides itself
In two lengthwise. Notice what it is that
appears: to tho right or left Of a pre-e1isting
line, without any change in the course or po-
sition of that line ono secs another line pro-
duced equal and parallel to the first, at dis
TANGO varying generally from G to IL degs.,
that is to say, from $50 to roo kilometers;
there even seem to be some produccestill
nearer, but tho telescope is not powerful